Just when you thought the Rick Nash story was going to die down after the trade deadline came and went with him still in Columbus, Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson decided to reveal at the post-deadline news conference that it was Nash who approached the team about a trade.

Well on Tuesday Nash had his first chance to talk about the trade deadline and his request to leave the only franchise he has ever known.

"I was informed by management that there was a rebuild, a reshape, of the team, and I personally felt I could be a huge part of that, toward bringing assets in," Nash said after the team's skate. "I think that was in my view that was the best thing for the team, the organization, and personally for my career."

It sounds noble to be sure. And I'm not even going to be the cynic here and say there's no truth to that, that Nash is trying to remain the good guy. He's been incredibly dedicated and loyal to that franchise, I believe he was interested in helping them build for the future.

Just don't be fooled into not reading that Nash just doesn't want to be part of it. The organization has more or less been in a perpetual state of rebuilding. Can't blame Nash for being ready to play on a winning team. He'll take the martyr role in the process.

Here is an interesting back and forth from today's media availability that allows you to read through the lines however you choose.

"I think the biggest thing is when management said they were going to make a rebuild and a reshape, I thought the best thing for the team and for the organization would be to get assets for me, and I thought it would be best for my career."

Reporter: "Best for your career, to go somewhere else?"

Nash: "To be part of the rebuild."

What will be interesting to see now is how the fans in Columbus treat Nash. They have beloved him as the face of the franchise for years. Now, we'll have to wait and see.

"I don’t know what to expect," Nash said. "I think I’ve been with these fans my whole 9-year, 10-year career here and I love them no matter what. They’re a great fan base, loyal. They’ve been patient with this organization and this team, and no matter what the reception is I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for our fans."

I'm going to go out on a limb here (not really) and say the overwhelming majority won't be mad at Nash. I doubt many if any of them could blame him for wanting to leave, whatever the reason. If his intentions really were as noble as he says then there's definitely no way they could feel scorn for him.

Now that Nash's retort is out of the way, this can be put on the backburner until the summer. On to the playoff push.

It shouldn't be a surprise that Monday turned out to be, for the most part, a quiet day as the 3 ET trade deadline passed.

Increased parity around the league and the fact nearly every team in the NHL still thinks it has a chance to make the playoffs this season reduced the number of true sellers to no more than four or five (If that). That, of course, made it nearly impossible to strike many impact deals, not to mention the sky-high prices teams were apparently putting on their players.

And speaking of the Predators, if they wanted to send a message to Suter and his partner in crime on the blue line, Shea Weber, not to mention the rest of the organization, the fan base and the NHL as a whole that they're ready to start going for it, they certainly did so on Monday.

Or attempted to, anyway.

The Predators were one of the busiest teams in the NHL over the past week, and after acquiring Hal Gill from the Montreal Canadiens last week for a couple of draft picks, they made two of the biggest moves on Monday by acquiring Andrei Kostitsyn from the Canadiens for two more draft picks, and then grabbed Paul Gaustad and a draft pick from the Buffalo Sabres for a first-round pick.

The Gaustad trade is a bold one. Perhaps even a little crazy given the price they paid for a role player that also happens to be an unrestricted free agent after the season. But he's a valuable player that is going to help, and now that everything has settled the Predators are a deeper, better team than they were at this time last week.

As general manager David Poile said "These trades have certainly given us a chance to play with the big boys this year."

Los Angeles Kings: The Kings big trade came earlier in the week when they landed Jeff Carter from the Columbus Jackets, giving the team the goal-scoring help it desperately needed, and reuniting him with his long-time teammate, Mike Richards. As I pointed out the night of the deal, the Kings were able to acquire Richards and Carter over the past year in two separate trades that did not require them to give up any of their own franchise, core players, which is pretty big score.

Buffalo Sabres: When word surfaced early on Monday that the asking price for Gaustad would be a first-round draft pick, there was some disbelief, as well as the assumption that as the day progressed that price would drop. The Sabres didn't back down from their demands and ended up getting the first-round pick they wanted for a player that had chance to lose for nothing over the summer.

They also addressed their need for young talent down the middle by striking what was perhaps the biggest deal of the day, sending Zach Kassian to the Vancouver Canucks for Cody Hodgson.

Minnesota Wild: In what was simply a hockey trade that saw two teams swap different types of defensemen the Oilers shipped Tom Gilbert to Minnesota in exchange for Nick Schultz. The Oilers traded an offensive-minded player for a defensive one, the Wild did the exact opposite, but ended up picking up the better player. Gilbert is going to help Minnesota a lot more than Schultz will help Edmonton.

Ottawa Senators: Saturday's addition of goaltender Ben Bishop is one of those deals that could sneak under the radar but provide a big return. Bishop is a highly regarded prospect and with Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak filling the position for the foreseeable future in St. Louis, Bishop wasn't going to get much of an opportunity. He might get it in Ottawa, especially in the short-term now that Craig Anderson is sidelined, and the Senators were able to get him without giving up much in return. Solid addition at a fair price at the right time.

Losers

Rick Nash and the Columbus Blue Jackets: The most shocking development to come out of the Rick Nash drama on Monday wasn't that he didn't get traded. For all of the rumors and speculation that followed his name over the past week, it's not a huge surprise that he's still a member of the Blue Jackets on Monday evening. The insanity really started to kick in when.general manager Scott Howson admitted in his Monday afternoon press conference that Nash initially approached the team and asked for a trade, putting the entire process in motion.

Why Howson would admit this is a mystery, but it's becoming pretty obvious that even though Nash will finish this season in Columbus, he's probably not going to be there at the start of next season. Especially now that his (current) general manager pretty much tossed him in front of the bus.

The only question that remains is whether or not Howson will be the man to make the inevitable trade over the summer. And given the return Columbus received on its two trades this past week, selling off Antoine Vermette and Jeff Carter for what amounts to Jack Johnson and some magic beans, not to mention the way he fumbled the Nash situation helping to put a nice bow on a season that only seems to get worse, it's worth asking who will be making that call from the general manager's office.

Of course, Nash isn't completely without blame in this mess either. His agent commented over the weekend that it would be best for a trade to be done sooner rather than later, and if Nash himself were really that desperate to get out of Columbus he wouldn't have limited the Jackets' potential trade partners by only offering to waive his no-trade clause for a short-list of teams, and one that his agent claims will not grow over the summer.

This appears to be a no-win situation for Columbus and its fans.

Chicago Blackhawks: The Blackhawks goaltending and defense has been a sore spot this season, and their only major move was to add Johnny Oduya from the Winnipeg Jets. Not sure if that's going to be enough.

Carolina Hurricanes: After re-signing Tuomo Ruutu and Tim Gleason, two popular names in trade speculation over the past month, the Hurricanes did not deal Bryan Allen or Jaroslav Spacek, two players that are eligible for unrestricted free agency after the season, which means they could possibly walk out the door for no return. It's still possible that one (or both) can be re-signed, which could be exciting ... if you're interested in keeping together a team that's currently 14th in the Eastern Conference.

Teams that stayed quiet

Pittsburgh Penguins: For the first time under general manager Ray Shero the Penguins did not make a move on, or near, the NHL's trade deadline. With the way the team is playing right now and the makeup of its roster, with Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal leading the way, a move wasn't really needed. This team is playing well enough as it is, doesn't appear to have many holes and looks like a team that can be a favorite and top contender for the Stanley Cup.

But the mindset around Pittsburgh seems to be that the lack of a move is a positive sign that Sidney Crosby could be on the verge of a return, or that he will eventually be "the big addition" for the roster. That's all well and good, and if it works out that way, fantastic. But assuming anything right now regarding Crosby is a major stretch. Nobody knows for sure when he'll be back, and it's worth pointing out that his last return lasted all of 10 games. Still a lot of uncertainty around that entire situation.

Washington Capitals: The Capitals were expected to be one of the busiest teams on Monday, especially after their decision to move center Nicklas Backstrom to the long-term injured list, opening up a pretty significant amount of salary cap space ahead of the deadline.

In the end the Capitals did nothing, which seems to be a pretty big shock around the NHL. But is it?

The Capitals could have certainly used a center, but with the way this team has looked for much of the season it's hard to imagine there being a move out there that was going to help this team get over the hump this year. Why give up significant long-term assets to chase after the No. 7 or 8 playoff spot when a deep postseason run doesn't look like it's a legitimate possibility?

The biggest trade of the day -- by far, if you ask me -- came down some 40 minutes after the deadline. The Vancouver Canucks shipped young star Cody Hodgson and defenseman Alexander Sulzer to the Buffalo Sabres for former No. 1 draft pick and top prospect Zach Kassian as well as defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani.

Even on a more normal (see: busier) trade deadline day, that deal is going to make a lot of news. Hodgson is a big-time player who has been blocked from getting good ice time in Vancouver. But the idea of trading him didn't seem to be much of a good one with his potential. The problem is he plays center and the Canucks sort of have some good ones ahead of him. You might have heard of Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler.

This season playing bottom-6 minutes, Hodgson has 16 goals and 17 assists. He has been a player that the fans in Vancouver have rallied behind to get more ice time, but again there wasn't much of it for him to take.

So he gets sent to Buffalo for Kassian, who won't be blocked at the center spot. He's a true power winger who is rough and skilled. The best way to describe him is as a freight-train type on the ice, he isn't soft out there to be sure.

The addition of Gragnani for Sulzer in the deal makes it a lot more appetizing for Vancouverites. Sulzer is a bit of a journeyman defenseman who plays in the No. 5/No. 6 role when he actually does play (only 12 games with Vancouver this season) while Gragnani is inexperienced but still very young. This was the first season in which he played more than 10 games, appearing in 44 so far for the Sabres while scoring a goal and 11 assists while sporting a plus-10.

Giving up Hodgson definitely comes as a surprise but apparently he was expendable. And it helps the Canucks get something they could use, a little more grit and toughness. It's hard not to view this addition of Kassian as partly in preparation for a possible rematch with the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final based on last year's series. Bruins or not, it's a move to get a little tougher.

For Buffalo, it will be interesting to see if this satisfies the fan base's desire to see the team do something. It's been a very disappointing season, particularly based on the expectations for the Sabres so it was expected they'd do something. They waited until the very end by first trading Paul Gaustad to Nashville for a No. 1 draft pick and then this bombshell.

It's pretty easy to say that Hodgson is the big piece of this deal and he goes to Buffalo. But Kassian will have a role to fill in Vancouver without a doubt.

For the Canucks it was part of a busier day where they were determined to add some forward punch. In addition to the Kassian/Gragnani acquisition, they also landed Sami Pahlsson from the Blue Jackets and finished the day by getting Andrew Gordon from the Anaheim Ducks.

The deadline has come and gone and Rick Nash remained with the Columbus Blue Jackets. That's going to make for an awkward end to what has been a very miserable season in Columbus.

Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson didn't help it become less awkward when he told the media at his post deadline news conference that it was Nash who approached the team about a trade, not the other way around.

"With respect to Rick Nash. He approached us and asked us to consider a trade. We agreed to accomodate his request as long as we could get a deal that would provide us with cornerstone pieces to help us compete for a Stanley Cup championship in the coming years," Howson said. "It did not happen by 3 o'clock today. This is too important to our franchise and our fans to do a deal that is not in our best interest. We pursued a number of options, but none provided the value back that we could justify trading a player of Rick's caliber.

"It doesn't really matter how close we were because it didn't happen. We had significant discussions today, but it didn't happen."

For the last two weeks the ebbs and flows of the Nash story were as constant as the ocean tides. The biggest name on the trade block by a long ways, the deals being discussed were more than blockbusters. They would have been franchise definers.

But much like the rest of the 2012 trade deadline, it didn't get done. Really, it exemplifies the entire deadline. It was a dull a trade deadline as we've seen in a long, long time. We thought last year was quiet with only 16 deals on deadline day. This year beat that by one deal.

All along the Jackets were demanding a very high price for Nash, and rightfully so. Scott Howson absolutely had to get a huge return for Nash and was dead set on getting it.

"The price was high and I don't apologize for that," Howson said. "It had to be high."

The Rangers, long viewed as the front-runners, were reportedly out on Sunday night of the Nash hunt. But they ramped it back up according to reports. A lot.

In fact, Darren Dreger of TSN said they made a very serious final push in the waning hours.

Don't know details, but indications are NYR made a mammoth offer for Rick Nash today and CBJ declined.#tradecentre

That didn't fit Howson's high price and I can't blame him too much. He wanted one of four guys (Michael Del Zotto, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Ryan McDonagh). The addition from previous reported offers was Christian Thomas, but it still wasn't enough.

Now all this means is that the talks will be put on hold. It really seems like this whole thing spun out of control so much that there is no way Nash can return to the Blue Jackets next season. The activity will pick up again in the summer time and you're likely going to see the same teams mentioned in the chase: The Rangers as well as the San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs. Nash's agent said his list of teams he'll accept a trade to won't expand in the summer, so there likely won't be many surprise contenders, but you never know.

"He's a member of our team right now, he's our captain," Howson said. "That's not going to change, nothing's going to change. Obviously we are going to look at all of our options as we move forward. We'll see what happens once we get around the draft and this summer."

Howson essentially backed the bus up over his captain today. In no way did he really help this situation with his comments. Admitting that Nash came to him wasn't a great start to rehabbing the image, nor is it good in his pursuit of getting a great return. It became even more clear after this that Nash can't remain in Columbus now. He actively wants out and now everybody knows that. That strengthens the suitors' resolve in not caving to Howson's demands. Eventually if anyone caves you have to think it is Howson.

The Nashville Predators made two of the biggest trades on Monday, and after picking up Andrei Kostitsyn from Montreal earlier in the day, they also landed center Paul Gaustad and a fourth-round draft pick from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a first-round draft pick.

The first-round pick was the rumored asking price for much of the day, and the Sabres were able to find a team willing to give one up.

Gaustad was one of the most talked about players heading into the deadline, which should have given us an idea as to how quiet Monday would be, and gives the Predators a big body down the middle that can play a number of different roles. The most valuable asset he brings to the team might in fact be his ability in the faceoff circle as he's one of the best players in the league on draw, consistently near the top of the NHL. That fills a pretty big need for the Predators as they are currently one of the worst faceoff teams in the NHL.

It's certainly a high price to pay for Gaustad, an unrestricted free agent after this season, but it's also a clear sign that the Predators are going for it this season. Over the past week they've added Gaustad, Kostitsyn and Hal Gill to go to a team that already has two of the best defensemen in the NHL (Shea Weber and Ryan Suter) and one of the top goalies in the league in Pekka Rinne.

The Vancouver Canucks, a team that's already quite deep at the center position, added yet another one on Monday by acquiring Samuel Pahlsson from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a pair of fourth-round draft picks.

It's an interesting move for the Canucks because they already have a defensive-minded, shutdown center that plays a role similar to the one that Pahlsson plays in Manny Malhotra, though it's possible that Pahlsson could also spend some time on the wing, and it certainly gives coach Alain Vigneault some options.

The 34-year-old Pahlsson is perhaps best known for his role on the 2006-07 Stanley Cup winning Anaheim Ducks team as a part of a line with Travis Moen and Rob Niedermayer.

He's not going to provide much offense, scoring just two goals in 61 games this season, but he's a difficult player to score against, which has remained true even this season playing on what has been a brutal defensive team in Columbus. Via the data at BehindTheNet.ca, Pahlsson has only been on the ice for an average two goals against per 60 minutes of even-strength play, which was one of the lowest totals on the Columbus roster this season despite playing against some of the toughest opponents on a nightly basis.

Pahlsson was one of the players the Blue Jackets were expected to move on Monday, and now that he's gone, all eyes shift toward Rick Nash.

Everybody knew that if the Chicago Blackhawks were going to make a move this trade deadline it was going to be for a defenseman. The obvious target was Johnny Oduya from the Winnipeg Jets. And sometimes the obvious deals go down.

That's what happened today. The Jets sent Oduya to Chicago for a second- and third-round pick going to Winnipeg.

The Blackhawks have really needed help on the back end. They are down near the bottom of the league in goals against. Oduya likely won't help too much in that regard, but he could help to give them some offense from the blue line. On Sunday night the Blackhawks snapped an 0-for-39 drought on the power play, so you can see that's a unit that could use some juice.

Oduya was long rumored to be on his way out in Winnipeg and the claiming of Grant Clitsome earlier in the day paved the way to move Oduya out.

Oduya was acquired the by the then-Thrashers as a big part of the return for Ilya Kovalchuk in his trade to the Devils. Now? Check out how it has fared from the Jets/Thrashers perspective from Ted Starkey.

The Oduya trade means the only player left from the Kovalchuk deal is... Patrice Cormier.

You have to like both the additions from San Jose's perspective. Winnik and Galiardi both give them some grit and some scoring. Galiardi in particular could be the steal in this move. But I am a bit surprised to see the Sharks giving up McGinn in the process. He has been having a good season with the Sharks with 12 goals already. In Colorado he sort of fits in with the addition from earlier this week in Steve Downie.

It's not the biggest deal we'll see all day but it's a nice little move for San Jose. And we can't finish this blog without using this terrible pun: